U.S. "Snail" Mail may be getting Greener, Slower, and less Disgruntled for 2009!

The poor economy has touched upon just about everything this year, from lemonade stands to the U.S postal service. Yes, the Postmaster General, John E. Potter, has officially sent in a request limiting the number of days the Post Office will have to deliver and work each week. This is part of their plan to reduce the massive amount of deficits weighing upon them, some $2.8 billion dollars from 2008, with a predicted $6 billion for 2009 if the current trend continues.The Glory Days of the Postal Service may be Numbered, from 6 to 5Postmaster Potter sees no other choice than to reduce the days the post office is in operation due to rising costs and dwindling volume. They are considering dropping just one day out of each week, giving them a shorter work week, from six days to five. You might be thinking that they will be taking Saturday off, but think again.

At first glance, they are considering taking Tuesdays off, since this is one of their lighter mail days. Dropping one day could save the Postal Service as much as $3.5 billion dollars over this next year. But it won't just be money they are saving, they will also be decreasing a substantial portion of their carbon footprint.

Snail Mail Just Ain't What it Used to beWhile a bad economy is tough on everything, these recent events might also be giving the hint that the technology age is finally taking its toll over the old horse and buggy theory of message transportation. Today we no longer need to send mail as often, as most things can be taken care of with electronic messaging. Heck, I myself can't even remember the last time I actually mailed a letter to someone outright.

Don't get me wrong, there will be a continued need for mail service for awhile, but I don't see anything but good things to come by limiting their days in service. They might even be able to eventually go to a three or four day schedule without too much inconvenience for most of us. What do you think?